A faulty vacuum plug was the cause of a house fire on Sunday afternoon, prompting calls for residents to check the safety of household appliances.
A fire crew from Cannock was called to an address near Wimblebury Road, Cannock, at about 1.05pm on Sunday. Upon arrival, the crew discovered a blown plug socket from a vacuum cleaner resulted in black marks on a wall. Nobody was injured, and the occupier has been notified.
Each year, around 7,000 house fires are caused by faulty electrics, such as overloaded sockets and faulty appliances.
Jordan Money, station manager at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, was quoted as saying: “Make sure all electrical appliances have a British or European safety mark when you buy them.
“Don’t overload your sockets – keep one appliance to one plug where possible and use the socket overload calculator to reduce the risk of fire.
“Unplug appliances when you are going to bed or not using them.
“High powered appliances such as washing machines should have a single plug socket.
“Never use square box plug adapters, and if using a strip adapter/extension make sure it’s fused and don’t overload it.
“If using a cable drum extension lead, it should be completely unwound to avoid overheating.”
